Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Where are my tulips? I swear they were there yesterday. I know they were. I was admiring them for quite some time. Could they all have died? I did some investigating...

That tulip is new...so where did the other ones go? They didn't die, the head is just cut off. WHAT!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! Where have the heads to ALL my tulips gone?! My blood was boiling. I was SO MAD. This was my first year planting tulips and I've waited for 6 months to see them bloom!

At first I was SURE that it was some punk kid who stole them for prom. Or who cut the heads off to be funny. Or who was just lame in general. OOOOOOOh, and I was going to find him. I was going to the police if I had to.

I wandered the block. I checked out all the neighbors yard. Some people were missing a tulip or two, but no one had the damage we had. I asked all the neighbors if they had seen anything suspicious. No one had, but steam was coming out of my ears. "I'm going to find that stupid kid!!"

Finally I made it to the Carr's yard. I started talking to Wally and he suggested it might be deer. He said he'd seen a few deer and there were droppings in his yard this morning. Come to think of it, I had seen a deer bolt through my yard yesterday. But it couldn't be deer, could it? Just the tulips were gone, no daffodils. Surely it was a kid who wanted just tulips for prom. Wally told me that deer don't eat daffodils. He asked if just the head was gone...yes. Turns out deer only like the head, or the bulb if they're feeling feisty.

I walked back to my yard to settle the dispute. Deer tracks everywhere. It WAS deer. Stupid, silly, prancing, white tailed deer.

Monday, April 21, 2008

I've been missing, I know. You haven't really heard from me much--mostly posts about other people and random videos. I wanted to offer an explanation.

I've been doing this:

A lot. Lots and lots of hot dogs. We've been catering daily for the past few weeks.

I haven't been doing a lot of this:

The pile almost took over my bed, so I finally broke down and did laundry. It took 3 days, but its done. I don't want to do laundry for a long time.

We don't have catering until MAY which is amazing, but this week should rock our world. We've broken our record today and last Friday. It will only get busier this week, until Friday (graduation day!) where we always smash our record.

Our employees are leaving for the summer, so I even get to fill in this Thursday and Friday.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Friday, April 18, 2008

There was a plane crash in the Congo this week. Thankfully my parents weren't anywhere near the crash, but we still panicked for a bit. CNN did an article on it, and I thought it was really enlightening. Not just enlightening about plane crashes, but about life in the Congo, poverty, and infrastructure as well.

Here is an excerpt:

The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, has a dismal aviation record. There have been 10 plane crashes in the nation since February of last year, resulting in 76 deaths -- not including Tuesday's crash -- according to Aviation Safety Network.

Saiki said because of its poor infrastructure, air travel is one of the few ways to get around the Congo.

"This is the third largest country in Africa, as big as Western Europe, and yet you don't even have 2,000 miles of roads," Saiki said. "So basically most of the transportation in such a big country is done by air."

You have to realize too that my parents mission covers 4 other countries, not just DR Congo. They travel by air several times a week. I think Dad told me there are only 18 miles of "paved" freeway (paved being a generous word). Aren't we so lucky to live where we do?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

About 15 years ago, we were on a family vacation which required quite a bit of walking. So, we found a way to entertain ourselves; we played rock paper scissors with Drew. He was 6 and not nearly as skilled as I was at age 13, or my older siblings Tyler and Kendra. To make things interesting, we almost always had a wager: foot rubs at the end of the night. Guess how many nights I got foot rubs? Almost every night. Poor Drew.

Tomorrow Drew and I won't be playing rock paper scissors, nor will either of us be receiving a foot rub. But we will be catering for an estimated 2,000 people who will be playing rock paper scissors. This is our largest catering job to date--actually almost double our next largest job. But we have three bad-mama-jama grills and a plethera of skilled employees. We have some new threads we'll be wearing. Our trailer has been totally decked out with shelving, a slick new paint job, and lots of bungee cords.

We're ready, I think. Actually we're stressed. But it will be done tomorrow and then we can focus on Saturday's catering job. Pheh, and I just got done thinking about the one we did tonight.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

I'm ecstatic to say that we have tickets for Megan to go to Stadium of Fire!

I emailed a bunch of people who were advertising tickets on craigslist today. I explained to them who Megan was, and why we wanted the tickets. Thankfully, I found probably the kindest person in the Valley. He emailed me right away and told me that we could buy two of his tickets at cost. What a saint, right? Especially since only one other person emailed me back and said "what are you willing to offer?" They didn't get it at all.

We can't wait for the fourth of July! Good, no, GREAT people still exist in this world.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Did you hear who is performing at Stadium of Fire this year? That's right, Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana.

I know you probably all know someone who loves Hannah Montana. But however much they love Hannah Montana, I guarantee they don't love her nearly as much as my niece Megan.

Here is Megan performing one of Cyrus' songs, "I've got nerve" at a recent talent show.

Megan is such a sweet, sweet girl. She is so special. I can't imagine how she would flip out if she got to go see Hannah Montana. Megan has the most endearing laugh/squeal/scream when she is excited. I can hear her screaming. I can see her singing along to all the songs. I can see her in 7th heaven.

The problem is the tickets are sold out. They sold out in 10 minutes. They are now being sold for 5 times their value. I read somewhere that this is now only an event for the rich kids. Isn't it true?

Megan isn't a rich kid, but she really deserves to be there. We're still waiting to see if Megan's family can come out this summer at all. But if they make it to Utah, I have to find a ticket for Megan and parent. Do you know where I can find two tickets that won't cost me $500?

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Most people love their parents, right? What isn't to love about 2 people who give you life, and then sacrifice their life to teach you, love you, care for and nurture you?

Well, I LOVE my parents. I always have. I think they are amazing. I admire them for raising a large (8 kids!) family in California where people thought they were crazy. They sacrificed infinitely to teach me the importance of education, family, church, health, art, music, etc. They literally gave me every opportunity to grow and develop, to learn about my interests, to serve, and generally to become a better person. Whatever things I accomplish in my life, I have my parents to thank.

A little over one year ago, they were called in to see President Monson, then the first counselor of the First Presidency of the LDS Church. Because of previous interviews, they pretty much knew why they were there; they were going to be called to serve as a mission president. But can you imagine how their jaw dropped when President Monson said "you are called to serve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa Mission."

If you know my parents, you know that they have spent a majority of their lives working people of prestige and money. My dad was a partner at one of the largest accounting firms and then spent years at BYU where he built the entrepreneurial program. In both capacities, he has sought out and worked with many people of importance. My mother has been right by his side in all respects, and often threw grand parties for those important guests. They did it all with style and grace.

Now they spend their days with the poorest of the poor. They work and labor with about 100 young African missionaries to find and teach the people who are seeking the gospel truth. They travel hundreds of miles every month to Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, and to the heart of the African jungle. They bring along their camp stove, freeze dried meals, mosquito nets, and spend their days teaching, interviewing, and mostly loving the African people. Sometimes the road is rough....

...but I don't think they'd change their experiences for anything. They love the African people. They love the gospel. They want their missionaries to succeed. They trust them. They are there for them. They mentioned the other day that the work was growing and growing. They feel like they're having an explosion. Can you imagine why? I know why.

It's because they are TOTALLY AMAZING. I am so so so proud of them. Thank you, dad and mom, for being such a tremendous example to me, and to everyone.